Fatal Shooting of Ta'Kiya Young: Womanist Ethics Perspective
WOSU 89.7 NPR News | By Jared Clayton Brown,
Warning: the above footage contains graphic footage and language that some may find upsetting.
Blendon Township Police have released the body cam footage showing the deadly shooting of 21-year-old Ta'Kiya Young in a Kroger parking lot last week.
The shooting of Ta'Kiya Young, a pregnant Black woman, over an allegation of shoplifting, serves as a stark reminder of the injustices faced by marginalized communities and the urgent need for police reform and de-escalation training.
Young, who was accused of shoplifting from a Kroger store, found herself in a tragic confrontation with nearby officers who were alerted to the alleged theft by a Kroger employee. It is important to note that Young was pregnant at the time, expecting to give birth to a baby girl in November, which makes this incident even more heartbreaking.
The five-minute video capturing this disturbing encounter shows a police officer standing in front of Young's vehicle and shooting her within a mere 30 seconds of the interaction beginning. Young had begun turning her steering wheel away from the two officers before she accelerated, but as she pulled forward, her car started pushing against the officer before he resorted to using deadly force.
The heart of the matter here is not just the tragedy of this specific incident but the broader questions it raises. Why do Black women seem to be seen as expendable, with their lives and well-being treated with disregard? Why does the public often seem to overlook or downplay such instances of violence when it involves Black women, while responding with outrage when similar violence is inflicted upon Black men?
It's vital to highlight the stark contrast between the officer's actions and the Blendon Township's use of force policy for responding to moving vehicles. According to the policy, officers should make reasonable efforts to move out of the path of an approaching vehicle, rather than resorting to firing their firearms at the vehicle or its occupants. They should only use such force when there are no other reasonable alternatives to avert an imminent threat or when deadly force is directed at the officer or others. Officers are explicitly discouraged from shooting at any part of a vehicle to disable it.
In this case, the officer did not appear to make any effort to get out of the way of the moving vehicle. Instead, he chose to point his gun at Ta'Kiya Young and use lethal force, a decision that ultimately cost her life.
The events leading up to the shooting are also deeply troubling. The officers, before confronting Young, were attempting to unlock another person's car using an air wedge. Young had entered her vehicle with a large bag on her shoulder, and the first officer approached her after an inaudible communication from an unseen individual. Blendon Township Police Chief John Belford claimed that a Kroger employee informed the officers that Young had stolen several bottles of alcohol. However, the video footage does not corroborate this claim, as no stolen alcohol bottles are visible.
The encounter escalated quickly as the officer knocked on Young's window, commanding her to stop and get out of the car. Young, understandably confused and concerned, asked why she was being stopped. The officer's response was that she was accused of theft, to which Young replied by questioning the accusation.
The shooting of Ta'Kiya Young underscores the urgent need for comprehensive police reform and de-escalation training, particularly in situations involving non-violent offenses. It also serves as a painful reminder that the lives and rights of Black women must be equally valued and protected, without discrimination or disregard. It's crucial that society as a whole acknowledges these injustices and demands accountability and change to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future. Read more here. An excerpt of the story is also listed below.
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Blendon Township Police release body cam footage showing fatal shooting of Ta'Kiya Young
The five-minute video shows a police officer standing in front of her vehicle shooting Young within 30 seconds of the interaction beginning. Young began turning her steering wheel away from the two officers before she accelerated, but as she pulled forward her car started pushing against the officer before he shot her.
Ta'Kiya Young was accused of shoplifting from the Kroger located on South Sunbury Road, when nearby officers were alerted to the alleged theft by a Kroger employee and immediately approached Young's vehicle. Young was pregnant at the time and the family said she was expecting to give birth to a baby girl in November.
Young's family has hired civil rights attorney Sean Walton. The family and Walton held a news conference this week and called for an earlier release of the footage instead of the Friday before Labor Day weekend.